


Love is Watching Someone Die (so who's gonna watch you die)

by AnotherWeirdoHere



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Based on a Death Cab For Cutie Song, Character Death, Hurt No Comfort, I'm telling you to turn back now, James "Rhodey" Rhodes Needs a Hug, M/M, Medical Procedures, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Song: What Sarah Said (Death Cab For Cutie), Tony Stark Angst, seriously. this isn't happy., you're gonna hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21602419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnotherWeirdoHere/pseuds/AnotherWeirdoHere
Summary: Tony Stark - the Invincible Iron Man... or so everyone thinks. He'd fought villains before, villains bigger and tougher than the one he had fought now. But now... the rest of the team and his husband are sitting in the waiting room, and a nurse is walking up to them.
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	Love is Watching Someone Die (so who's gonna watch you die)

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to my friend Mariam (@stankrhodes on twt), her RhodeyTony angst tweets (along with the movie Remember the Titans) put me into a _Mood _.__

" _He's fought worse_." Rhodey thinks vaguely as he and Pepper make their way to the waiting room. " _He fought **Thanos**_ _for God's sake! Tony doesn't **die**._" Steve and Thor stand up when Rhodey and Pepper enter. "Rogers." Steve visibly swallowed at Pepper's tone. "One bad hit in his right ribs, knocked the reactor in deeper." Pepper's hands immediately flew to her mouth, eyes beginning to water already. Thor looked like he'd been crying already, which was _never_ a good sign, but Rhodey didn't want to believe whatever was obviously happening. Rhodey didn't want to let it be true, if he denied it enough, then it couldn't _possibly. be. true._..

He walked around Steve and Thor and sat in the empty chair next to them, Janet grabbing his hand and squeezing. She looked to him, eyes already red. He didn't even look at her. His ring - on the hand currently in her palm, currently being squeezed in a manner of _I'm trying my hardest to understand, but we both love him and you are losing more than I am_ \- felt heavy. It was being _tested_. **Until death do you part?**

Rhodey is catapulted back to their college days, two freshmen coming from completely different backgrounds. Tony, ever bright plastic smile, James, difficult times from a world that told him he wouldn't _graduate_. Tony, who had daddy's money but not his love, James, who had daddy's love but not his money. All because Tony didn't want to room with the druggie homophobe and James had a spare bed. 

It was slow at first, neither wanting to overstep an non-discussed boundary, and it went on like that for nearly an entire semester. Finals rolled around and Tony broke down at the little desk in the corner with way too many papers and clutter and took one look at Rhodey, sniffled, and asked if he wanted hot chocolate. James just smiled and replied, " _That would be lovely._ "

Years later, after finals, after Tiberius, after Rumiko, after Tiberius _and_ Rumiko, Tony and Rhodey stood on stage, lifting their clasped hands in the air as celebration - as _victory_. After that, they went home, with mama Rhodes and Lila and Daddy, and they _feasted_. Tony had never felt so warm in his life, and James has that smile he gave him for the first time - the _real-deal_ as he called it - seared into his memory. 

That was the night Tony held his hand for the first time, an invitation, a request of _don't let me go, James PLEASE for the love of God don't let me go_. It was two days after that when Tony went home to Maria and Howard. James didn't let him go alone. 

Howard was somewhat proud of the piece of paper Tony brought home, but never of Tony himself. He eyed his son down as if he'd lead the locusts into his home and James remembered that look specifically. He'd balled his fists and silently promised Tony would never see that look again. Howard made another remark - " _How many bottles and bodies did it take to get this_?" - and Tony silently grabbed Rhodey's hand, stared his father in the eyes, and replied cooly, " _The same amount you cheated on mom with_." With that, he dragged Rhodey out, who was too busy laughing at Howard to walk his own ass out.

When they got into the car, Rhodey drove them to a nearby hotel and parked. He turned the car off and turned sideways to look at Tony. He held his hand out and Tony slumped into his arms, sobbing. His arms looped around Rhodey's back, fingers nearly tearing his sweater into pieces. James just rubbed his back, letting Tony sob it out.

Later that night, in the hotel room, they had their first kiss. Their first confession. 

It wasn't long - only about a year - until they were married. Well, more like, had the rings and fake married one another, but it still _counted_. It wasn't long after _that_ that Tony was kidnapped, was told his weapons were being sold illegally, when he decided to put the reactor in his chest into good use and _obliterate_ everything that was destroying the world he wanted to fix. 

Alcohol had been a regular occurence. James helped Tony through that. People had come into their lives just to betray them. They had helped each other through that. James found out about Iron Man. Tony built the War Machine armor. It was always like this, Tony, spectacular and magnificent, a hephaestus among ares' and the beauty and glow of aphrodite. James felt like a minor miniscule being in his life for moments, Tony always there to tell him " _You're MY Aphrodite. My Patroclus to my Achilles. My Psyche to my Eros. My love. My heart._ " James understood - finally - when Lila's mother and father passed, when Miles had come around, Tony wanted nothing more than Rhodey and a couple of kids too good for him.

Tony always looked _proud_ , the real _fatherly type_ whenever it came to Kamala or Miles or Sam. Hell, even Doreen. He'd turn to look at Rhodey, the same _real-deal_ smile on his face and he'd say " _You're all I need_."

"Mr. Rhodes?" A female's voice cut through the memories. Tony had taken Rhodey's last name, but publicly he used his father's name. Everyone looked up to the woman walking towards them. Tony'd made a comment some days ago and James brushed it off. 

" _Tell them I love them, please?_ " James'd looked puzzled at him. " _Tony, sweetheart, baby, what do you mean_?" Tony was leaned over James in their bed, and James reached up and placed his husbands face in his palm, stroking his cheek. Tony had just nuzzled into his hand. " _I won't be here to watch them go. Just tell them I love them, please? Don't forget Toni either, or Kobik or Rikki or RJ, they need to know. Amadeus and Viv, America and Kate even. Hell, Tommy and Billy and Teddy and_ -" He'd began listing names at this point, younger heroes he'd met over the years, even listing ones that clearly hated him. James, like always, just listened. He should've listened better.

His sister-in-law, before she passed, had told him one late night after her honeymoon, " _Love is watching them die. Bein' there until the end of it all._ "

He stood, when everyone else stayed silent. No one breathed for a few seconds, and Janet's sobs grew louder. She had asked him to identify the body. James couldn't go in there crying. He lifted his chin and began marching. He knew the room, knew the direction and smell and even layout because Tony had been there too many times and claimed the room as his. Room 12 on the third floor. He made it to the end of Tony's hall. The _I love yous_ and the _i need yous_ and the _you're my only ones_ replayed over and over in his mind until his hand grabbed the doorknob. " _James... promise me_."

"... _Of course._ "

He recognized him immediately. He barely got past the door, still holding onto the knob when he collapsed to his knees, body wracked with sobs. His heart physically hurt, and his ribs felt open. His world, his Tony was _gone_. How was he going to explain this to Riri, to Toni, to Sam, Kamala, Miles? To Doreen? To Bethany or Pepper or Sharon? 

A scream escaped him. 

_His life was gone._


End file.
